Childcare is important for both children’s development and parents’ employment. For single parents, childcare is particularly important to help make work possible. As both the main carer and main earner, single parents can’t ‘shift-parent’ in the same way couple parents do in order to manage nursery and school pick-ups and drop-offs.

Single parents tell us that the lack of affordable and flexible childcare available locally often prevents them from entering (or re-entering) work. Research shows that single parents are particularly likely to work more hours if they had access to good quality childcare. Currently there is not enough affordable and accessible childcare:

Nearly of single parents surveyed had to borrow from friends, family or formal lenders to cover childcare costs

31 per cent of single mothers would work more hours with good quality and accessible childcare.

Our position

Gingerbread believes good childcare – affordable, high-quality and responsive to parents’ needs – is vital to enable single (and couple) parents to make genuine choices on work and care.

We think investment in childcare should be seen as part and parcel of investing in infrastructure – it helps life chances, employment and the economy. We particularly believe that government support for childcare costs should be targeted at those most in need, particularly those on low incomes.

Finally, the role of childcare should be considered more broadly, including how it can support parents in training, transitioning into work and in insecure ‘work.

Our goals for change

We want to see more affordable and flexible childcare for single – and couple – parents. In particular, we hope for:

Support for families on low incomes now – increased support promised under universal credit (from 70 to 85 per cent of childcare costs) can be provided now under tax credits, while universal credit roll-out is delayed

Support for the up-front costs of childcare – a deposit guarantee, where local or national government covers repayable deposits to hold a childcare place before entering work, would help parents who are locked out of work by up-front costs before their first pay cheque arrives

Extension of free childcare support to those who need it most – the government can shift eligibility criteria for its flagship 30 hours’ free childcare for three and four year olds, to ensure those in education and training and part-time work are covered.

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